OGL: Kobold Press 'Raising Our Flag' For New Open RPG

Kobold Press has announced its plans regarding the upcoming new OGL v1.1, which involves a new, open game codenamed Project Black Flag.

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Kobold Press has been and always will be committed to open gaming and the tabletop community. Our goal is to continue creating the best materials for players and game masters alike.

This means Kobold Press will release its current Kickstarter projects as planned, including Campaign Builder: Cities & Towns (already printed and on its way to backers this winter).

In particular, Deep Magic Volume 2 will remain fully compatible with the 5E rules. We are working with our VTT partners to maintain support for digital platforms.

As we look ahead, it becomes even more important for our actions to represent our values. While we wait to see what the future holds, we are moving forward with clear-eyed work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.

All Kobolds look forward to the continued evolution of tabletop gaming. We aim to play our part in making the game better for everyone. Rest assured, Kobold Press intends to maintain a strong presence in the tabletop RPG community. We are not going anywhere.

Raising Our Flag - Kobold Press

Kobold Press is committed to open gaming. We are moving forward with clear-eyed work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.

koboldpress.com

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Admin: "Our new e-commerce business model requires it. Find a way."

That's the crazy thing, though: It doesn't.

Lots of D&D Beyond users already don't use third party content because it's so hard to integrate with D&D Beyond.

Make D&D Beyond more attractive without making it easier to add third party content, and you would effectively be pulling more people away from third party content.

They don't have to go to war to accomplish this goal.

 

[Sacrosanct]

With this announcement, a hundred 3PPS who were working on their own license now just put their pens down.

In all seriousness, I would need to know what KP is doing first. But yeah, anyone who wants their personal version of an open game system isn't going to see a lot of traction if a big player released open content in the way the OGL was meant to be.

 

[bedir than]

With this announcement, a hundred 3PPS who were working on their own license now just put their pens down.

In all seriousness, I would need to know what KP is doing first. But yeah, anyone who wants their personal version of an open game system isn't going to see a lot of traction if a big player released open content in the way the OGL was meant to be.

I hope they keep it close enough to 5e for me to use Tome of Beasts 1&3 and Twilight Fables

 

[Umbran]

Context is informative though, no?

A large part of the context that would be informative is knowing the inside of your head. Your best friends might be able to guess what you mean, but casual acquaintances on the internet can't do so reliably.

Of course no one "needs" a game like they need food and shelter, so that would be a silly thing to bother discussing.

Yeah, but that's also the only "need" that we necessarily share. You and I, and others here may want various different things out of the industry and community.

In any case, what I meant by "need" in this case was that 1D&D is, effectively, still 5E (as far as we can tell from the playtests) so there is no "need" for a third party to keep 5E alive when WotC won't. They aren't killing 5E, they are trying to corral support under their own control.

Which, incidentally, appears to be failing.

Yes, and, that failure may produce needs.

The way the licensing as we have seen it goes, if it isn't under their control, it is vestigial support. So, then if something 5e like is to continue in a vibrant form, it would "need" a new, open content foundation.

If you don't give a fig about variety of ongoing support for 5e, then no, you don't need this. If you do care, you probably do need this.

I'm still not sure what strategy Kobold thinks they can use to create a 5E SRD (if that's what this is) and be able to release it without WotC's blessing. But I am neither a publisher nor a lawyer, so maybe there is a method I'm not aware of.

The basic method is the one that has always existed, but is a real pain in the butt - strip the game down to its essential mechanics, and rewrite those in new words.

 

[humble minion]

What this announcement does say though is that KP, who are historically close to Wizards and who are certainly in the selection of 3pps who were offered NDA’s and the chance to give feedback on 1.1, and who have doubtless been in contact with WotC over the issue for some time, have no expectation of WotC saying ‘whoopsie’ amd returning the ogl to status quo ante.

 

[Umbran]

They don't have to go to war to accomplish this goal.

Almost every goal can be accomplished without "going to war". But, we still have a lot of wars.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I hope they keep it close enough to 5e for me to use Tome of Beasts 1&3 and Twilight Fables

I have to imagine that's a major design goal for them.

 

[GoodGame]

I have to imagine that's a major design goal for them.

I know nothing, but I'm finding it hard to trust that anything that so much as smells like 5e will be safe from future legal troubles. I'd be happier if they didn't take that approach at all though I understand completely why they would.

 

[Ibrandul]

That's the crazy thing, though: It doesn't.

Lots of D&D Beyond users already don't use third party content because it's so hard to integrate with D&D Beyond.

Make D&D Beyond more attractive without making it easier to add third party content, and you would effectively be pulling more people away from third party content.

They don't have to go to war to accomplish this goal.

I don’t think any of this is about D&D Beyond. Or rather, it might be, if they decide to call their new VTT “D&D Beyond.”

 

[humble minion]

I have to imagine that's a major design goal for them.

I expect so. KP have a vast amount of sunk cost in 5e and not a vast amount of staff to update it all. They won't be wanting to obsolete their entire back catalogue at a stroke.